I Care About You
by SpongeGuy
Summary: A collection of Karmi and Hiro drabbles until our girl comes home! Requests totally open!
1. All's Fun In Love and War

**Hey fellow Karmiro fans! As a lover of this ship, I plan to make as many drabbles and cute moments as possible until our girl comes home to her love! So here comes the first one "All's Fun In Love and War", a short cute Karmiro drabble with a guest appearance by Granville herself! Enjoy our precious science babies! Dedicated to bh6trash, organizer of Karmiro week 2k19 and all around great dude!**

* * *

**(This is set after the inevitable return of Karmi to SFIT, and is not a sequel to "Missed Him/Missed Her")**

* * *

Professor Grace Granville was closing up shop at SFIT that night.

Windows locked? Check.

Doors locked? Double check.

Security system that will terminate any potential threat to her students in the even of Big Hero 6 being late or absent? Triple check.

Granville let out a content sigh as she made her rounds, looking for any rogue students who were "just finishing a project" or "just grabbing a snack from the cafeteria" or "just working on their Kaiju suit" (that Fred boy was a mystery).

There was nothing she wasn't prepared for right now.

If a bunch of supervillains came in, she'd know just what to do!

If a disaster struck, she would hold the key to victory!

Everything was ready and accounted for.

Nothing could surprise her.

…

Except for this.

Giggling.

She could hear giggling from Karmi's lab.

Her eyes darting to her left without turning a single muscle, she slowly repositioned herself and edged towards the lab's entrance.

At first, the sound of joyous laughter having died out, she thought that it might have just been her hearing things.

With no further evidence to the existence of students over staying their welcome, Granville began to retreat, shaking her head at the idea that…

"Two in a row! Boom!"

…Life truly was disappointing at times, eh Grace?

She retraced her steps, fully planning to march in and escort the students (read: kick them out) for their intolerable behavior.

That is, until she overhead their voices:

"Quiet, Genius Boy! Granville will hear us!", Karmi uttered, clearly frightened of the potential punishment.

"It's ok! She's probably still locking her office up!", Hiro relaxed.

"And you know this how?", Karmi raised an eyebrow (at least, Granville assumed. The room was completely dark)

"…Can we go back to the fun part?", Hiro replied, sounding less than amused.

More giggling.

"All right.", Karmi said, with a bit of fondness and shyness.

"I… I'm not used to so much of this."

"We've done it before."

"I didn't say I don't like it!", she said, defensively.

Silence, momentarily.

"It's just that… All my life, I didn't get much of this. In any form. So… It's nice to know that someone thinks I deserve it."

A red blush could be seen by Granville's hawk eyes, despite the darkness.

"I don't think. I know."

"…Thanks."

Granville couldn't see it, but she was sure that a hug was what was obscured from her sight.

"Ok, enough mushy stuff, let's get this going! Can I get 3 in a row?"

"In your dreams, Hiro! I'm getting the next one! I'm getting the prize!"

All her life, Granville was sure of her next step.

Even with… Bob… She knew what to do.

Now, she wasn't so sure.

Should she barge in?

This felt… Personal…

"8!"

"10!"

"Dang it!"

"Ha ha, Hiro! Pay up!"

…Also probably really stupid.

"5!"

"4!"

"Well… The master is back."

"It's not like I'm suffering when I'm losing. No need to rub it in."

"Hey, it's you. This is more than a fair reward."

Maybe she should…

"Ace! Beat that!"

"…Ace too, Genius Boy."

"…Oh. We didn't plan for that. Any ideas?"

"I don't know. What about you?"

"…"

Suddenly, whispers, but ones she can't hear.

"…Did I ever tell you just how much I love you, Hiro?"

"Not as many times as I have to you."

Ok, that's it. It's really late and this is getting weird.

Granville opened the lights, yet Hiro and Karmi failed to notice.

Their eyes were locked to each other, playing cards on the ground between them, the space made up by their near faces.

Karmi blushed, shy and a little nervous. She looked down, and then slightly up, her eyes sparkling.

Hiro, for all his prior confidence, was also a little shy and nervous, his smile that awkward but winning one that had melted Karmi's heart.

They both smiled…

And they both neared, eyes closed, lips puckered…

But just as they began a sweet, tender, small kiss…

"Mr. Hamada, Ms. Khan, it is closing time."

Karmi let out a tiny yelp and Hiro fell backwards onto the floor, hitting his head on the surface.

"PROFESSOR GRANVILLE! I CAN EXPLAIN!", Karmi started, a wild look in her eyes, waving her hands every which way.

"IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!", Hiro tried, still scrambling off of the floor.

Granville let on a smug grin and a cocked eyebrow as she waited for the explanation.

Hiro and Karmi both looked at each other, and, resigned to their fate, they looked back at Granville.

They did not notice that they instinctively pinkie locked to protect each other from the oncoming storm, but Granville sure did.

"…We were playing "War".", they started explaining.

"But, um, the rules were different. 'Cause… Um… Whomever loses a round has to kiss the winner."

"NOT that that is losing in my opinion. At all.", they said at the same time, blushing slightly.

Granville shook her head, but she was more maternal than disciplinary.

"You two can continue your little game, but do please take it somewhere else. It is getting late, and SFIT needs to sleep too, you know."

A twinkle in her eyes could be seen as Hiro and Karmi sighed in relief, amazed that they had escaped punishment.

They quickly picked the cards, and excitedly, Karmi took Hiro's hand.

"Come on, let's go to your house: Your aunt's pastries have a date with my stomach!"

Hiro laughed as she carried him off, the two enjoying the rush of each other's hands touching. "Lead the way!"

As they ran off giggling, bright smiles on their faces, Granville could only shake her head lovingly at them.

"Teenagers."

* * *

**Hope you like it! I am totally open for Karmiro requests by the way, so send any that you want! As long as its not smut!**


	2. Friends

**This is for the final day of Karmiro week!**

* * *

The sun was gracing the sky with its rays, its descent to the bottom of the sky approaching very slowly, as Hiro Hamada and Karmi Khan, former rivals, now… Well, they weren't sure, but whatever they were, they were ordering Ice Cream together.

Karmi looked around, catching with her eyes the beautiful spring sights of the park.

This time of year rewarded the park visitors with wonderful blossoms, especially cherry blossoms, and the flowers gave off a relaxing vibe, one that Karmi wished she had in her heart.

"What's your order?", The Ice Cream woman asked, her bored expression a contrast to Karmi's sad expression and Hiro's cheerful expression.

Unlike Karmi, who felt blue, Hiro felt quite on the up.

KARMI was BACK.

After such a long time, Karmi had returned to San Fransokyo and SFIT, and Hiro, who had spent months talking to her online and missing her, was so happy to be reunited.

It incited a warm chuckle in the teen genius, who stepped forwards to order his cone of choice: When the school year had begun, he and Karmi had started off… Rough, to say the least.

But over time, Hiro began to see who Karmi truly was: A kind and incredible genius with a heart of gold and a smile that made him believe it would all be all right.

Damn, that smile. It sent his heart racing (not that he would ever admit it, especially next to his friends!).

"I'll have the chocolate swirl."

Karmi, despite her mood, couldn't help but playfully chide him. "Hiro! You didn't say the magic word!"

Hiro playfully raised his eyebrow, playing innocent. "Who, me?"

The duo laughed and Hiro looked back at the Ice Cream Woman and said "Please" like a good boy.

Karmi enjoyed the moment of levity (it was nice that she and Hiro could now joke with each other instead of at each other), but it didn't last.

Her fears of the future still held her down with invisible chains, her hope still locked away where no one else could see.

Was there any chance for someone like her…

"Hello!", The Ice Cream Woman suddenly said loudly, waking Karmi up from her thoughts.

"Are you going to order or not, Missy?", The Ice Cream Woman said impatiently, hoping to end her shift so she can sit around and do nothing like a normal adult!

Karmi got a little flustered now (she didn't like being called out in public), and cheeks red, she ordered herself a strawberry cone.

As the ice creams were given, Hiro looked at Karmi, who seemed off in her own world, looking at the clear sky with stormy eyes.

Karmi, used to wearing masks to hide her true feelings, was sure that Hiro hadn't noticed how silent she was.

But Hiro was not "Genius Boy" for nothing.

He could tell something was up.

And he was not going to back down, even if Karmi would say "I am satisfied with my care".

After paying for their ice creams, the two walked over to a grassy patch near the pond, where some ducks could be found swimming merrily.

Karmi gazed at the ducks and wished that she could be one, swimming her worries away with her tail feathers, basking in the warm rays of the sun.

She sighed, her chin slightly cupped by her free hand.

Hiro, sitting next to her, decided that it was time to find out what was bothering her.

But he didn't want to go straight to the point: Karmi would just weasel out of it like… A weasel.

No, he'd need a different strategy!

"…Nice weather we're having.", he coughed, knowing it was cliché, but still a start.

Karmi looked over him, and, despite her mood, cocked her eyebrow, unimpressed. "Nice weather? Gonna have to try harder than that, Genius Boy!"

Hiro cocked an eyebrow in response. "Try harder? In what, exactly? Last I checked, I'm pretty much an expert in everything."

Karmi knew that Hiro was just messing around, and, deciding that perhaps this could distract her from her inner turmoil, she continued the banter.

"Well, clearly you missed the "Charming a lady friend you fancy" class."

"Huh. Must have missed the memo."

"More like they decided you're not fit to have a girlfriend, weirdo."

Hiro grinned in response. "What ARE you talking about? I'm a real ladies man!"

He pretended to flex a muscle, and Karmi couldn't help but giggle at his silliness.

Hiro's heart began to beat like a marching drum. How had he lived so long without her laugh?

How had he lived without the sight of her being happy?

Karmi stopped laughing and smiled that genuine smile that made Hiro want to soar through the clouds, and thanks to her sitting in the angle she was in, the sun reflected off of her in a stunning way.

If he hadn't realized that Karmi needed some help, he may have kissed her at that moment.

But Hiro knew that that was the last thing Karmi needed right now.

If he was to help her, he'd have to ignore his attraction to her.

He cleared his throat as she turned back to the sky, the melancholy already back in her eyes.

"…So, um… Karmi…"

Karmi turned to him, a little less cheerful this time.

"…Yes… Hiro?"

Hiro tried to word this carefully. He knew that one wtong word could really hurt Karmi. And that was the LAST thing he wanted.

"I was just wondering…"

Think, Hiro, think!

"…What are you thinking about?"

Not bad, if I do say so myself!

Karmi wanted to avoid this talk. Hiro didn't need to get piled up with her mess.

Hiro didn't need her.

"…Nothing. Just thinking."

"About nothing?", Hiro said, a little bit of skepticism in his tone.

"Yes. Nothing.", Karmi said, hoping that would shut him up.

Hiro tried to make this a joke too. It might just work. "Well, technically, you can't be thinking of nothing. It's impossible to do that. As a genius, you should know this."

Karmi, truly desperate to avoid this, to not force Hiro to deal with her, shot back. "Well, I am thinking of something now."

"You were before too."

Karmi snapped her head to him, and a little too sharply, she said "I'm thinking that you should shut up, Genius Boy!"

She snapped back, and immediately filled herself with guilt and regret. Did she have to be so harsh? He didn't know!

Hiro, a little taken aback by the response, tried to carefully fix things. "…Sorry, Karmi. I didn't mean to annoy…"

"You're not the one who needs to be sorry."

Karmi got quiet as she buried her head in her hands.

She felt her breathing get heavy and her heart beat hard.

"…Karmi?", Hiro asked, now even more concerned for his friend, abandoning the joking strategy.

Karmi's mind raced, her hands shook and her eyes began to well up with tears as the horrible thoughts she had been trying to supress bombarded her head:

How she had treated him.

How she had been turned into a monster.

How she had almost hurt him.

The closest thing she had to a friend.

How she deserved nothing.

Not even…

"Are you ok?", Hiro asked, a hand moving towards her shoulder.

How could she even DARE consider herself worthy of such things?

How could she DARE sit next to him now and pretend that she wasn't who she was? That this was ok? That this was something she had earned?

She…

She was going to hurt him.

She had to stop this before it was too late.

For his sake.

She turned away from Hiro, back to him, eyes still welling up with tears.

"No… Stay away from me…"

Hiro was surprised at this statement, and, quickly throwing away his ice cream into a thankfully near trash can, he turned his entire body towards her.

"Karmi… You can tell me."

His tone was so comforting, it was so strange to Karmi.

She had never heard such…

Love?

No.

She was a fool to think it was that.

But something inside her begged to tell him everything.

"I… I…"

To tell him or not?

"It's ok, Karmi…", Hiro tried, hoping to ease her soul.

"You're not alone."

Finally, Karmi couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Yes I am, Genius Boy."

Hiro turned quiet as Karmi looked at him.

Her eyes were puffy, and tears ran down them in small but noticeable pools.

Hiro felt an urge to kiss them away and hug her until she felt better, but he knew it wasn't the time.

It wasn't only her eyes, though: Her hands shook violently, her lips trembled and her heart pounded, making her sweat a bit too.

"…Hiro… I've… I've never…"

She struggled to choke it out, but the look on his face, full of sympathy and care, made her want to try.

Maybe he could understand…

Maybe finally someone could understand her…

"I've…", she swallowed the ball of saliva in her mouth, freeing her vocal chords. "I've never… Had friends. Ever."

She continued to tremble and shake as she recounted to him her past, Hiro listening intently.

"When I was a little girl, I tried to make friends with the other kids. I really wanted to. More than anything, I wanted someone who would listen to me, and who I would listen to back."

She looked at the horizon with an almost dreamy expression, the embers of an old dream showing up on her forlorn face.

"I wanted someone to play with, and laugh with, and share with, and be with for all eternity. Someone to care for… And someone who would care for me."

Her voice got quiet again as she remembered…

"The other kids didn't see it that way, though. They looked at me, in my little lab coat, with my human body diagrams and books about viruses and they…"

She let out a choked sob, some extra tears flowing from her eye lids.

"…They saw a freak."

She recoiled as she remembered the past, Hiro visibly recoiling as she mentioned it.

"Some of them laughed… And some of them jeered… And some of them…"

She brought her sleeve up, showing a few faint but ever painful scars.

"Some of them hurt me."

Karmi didn't let up on the crying this time, more tears running down her face.

Hiro too felt a little weepy.

But he would let her finish.

Karmi took a few deep breaths, the vivid and painful flashbacks of shoves, punches and kicks reverberating still.

"Sometimes they'd just… Pretend to invite me to things… And then leave before I could come."

She really began to tremble as she continued with this: "I once invited them to my birthday party… But no one showed up."

She sighed, calming down a little bit, crossing her arms and protecting herself in a bubble.

"It didn't help that my parents were super protective. So… I got scared."

She shivered.

"I got scared of making friends. How could I know if the next one who came along wouldn't be even worse?"

Karmi continued hugging herself, wanting to disappear. "My only friends were the viruses I studied… Why not? In a contained environment, viruses don't hurt… Or bully… Or exclude… They just… Sit there. And say nothing."

Hiro tried to put a hand on her, but she removed it.

Hiro wasn't going down without a fight, though.

"I… I had no idea…"

"That's not your fault. I didn't let you."

The wind blew across the park, making her pony tail blow in the wind, which only made her more beautiful in Hiro's eyes.

He HAD to make her see…

Make her see herself the way he did.

"Karmi… I…"

"Hiro, it's not your fault. You can't do anything. I'm…"

She had to say it.

"I'm sorry. I'm SO sorry. This is the reason I treated you like that. And… And I feel terrible for doing so."

Hiro decided to listen and let her finish, he knew she had to let this out.

"All you wanted was to be my friend… But I was so goddamn worried about getting hurt… That I ended up hurting the only real friend I ever had. I chose another bully over the one person who truly cared for me."

"Karmi, it's not like that…"

Karmi blew up. "Of course it is, Hiro! Look at me!"

Tears really began flowing now as Karmi described it all in rapid fire.

"I shouted at you for no reason! I never let you explain yourself! I took embarrassing photos of you and I made fun of you and I insulted you time and time again!"

She really began weeping, realizing the extent of her damage.

"I… I hurt the one person who cared for me."

She began crying on his knees, sobbing almost uncontrollably now.

"I'm so sorry, Hiro! I'm so sorry!"

Hiro got serious, refusing to see her like this.

"Karmi… I'm sorry too."

Karmi couldn't help but bite. "Genius Boy, it doesn't take a genius to see that the only one at fault here…"

"We both fucked up, ok?"

Karmi looked up into his eyes, and she saw that he meant it.

"…Hiro, I…"

Hiro put his palm up, signifying to her to stop.

"Karmi, you got your rant, now let me have mine."

Karmi slowly nodded, deciding to listen, slightly looking up at him, as he talked to her in a calm and soothing voice.

"You think you were the only reason we fought all the time? I was a big jerk too, remember?"

He sighed, remembering some of his actions, actions he regretted.

"I took embarrassing pictures of you too. And I bit back when you insulted me. And I almost hurt you with the table and the ketchup. And… And I…"

This was a little harder to say, but Hiro knew he needed to say it.

"…I was jealous of you."

The sun was getting closer and closer to setting, and the light reflected off of Hiro as he chose to forgive himself and move closer to the light.

"I was so jealous of you, and I didn't know why, but I'm sorry. I was such a jerk to you, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry because you didn't deserve it."

Karmi disagreed. "Hiro, I suck. It's my fault that…"

"Is it your fault you were bullied? Is it your fault that you were sheltered? Is it your fault that Di turned you into a monster?"

Karmi felt a small pang of pain as she remembered the transformation, the trauma still fresh after all this time.

"Hiro, I shouldn't have…"

"Karmi.", Hiro said sharply, determinedly, fixated on making her see. "You were manipulated by that monster into becoming one, but…"

Tears began falling from his eyes as he remembered. It was traumatic for him too. "I came to you… And while you were being controlled… I told you that… You're the smartest person I know…"

A small gasp came from Karmi.

Did…

Did he really think that?

Hiro continued, a quiver in his voice. "And… That you're my friend. And that I care about you. And I do. Despite all the messes, and all the fights, and all the insults… I CARE about you."

He began to hug her, she clung to him and to his shoulder, he buried his head in her shoulder, more tears flowing as he felt his deep love for her.

"Because even when you're being a huge pain in the butt… You're smart. And kind. And incredible. And loving. And funny. And… And…"

He removed himself from the hug, cupped her face on his right hand, and, with utter genuine emotion, stated "…And you're beautiful."

Karmi couldn't believe she was hearing this.

Hiro kept smiling at her as he softly caressed her damp cheek.

"I… You have… A smile. The smile that you have when it's genuine. 'Cause when it's genuine… Man. There is nothing prettier in the world than you when you're really happy. It makes me think… That it will all be all right. And it all will be."

He wiped away her tears with his thumb.

"…Because as long as I live, I will ALWAYS care about you. No matter what."

Karmi began crying again…

But this time, they were tears of happiness.

"…You… You really think all that… You really do?"

"…Every word."

Karmi looked down, blushing uncontrollably and smiling shyly. "…I think… I think that about you too."

Now it was Hiro's turn to blush.

"You're a genius. Just… You're brilliant. I wish I could be as smart as you. And you're funny. And you're so kind. You are always genuine, and you never pretended with me."

She got really shy now as she gazed into his eyes. "And like you, it's the smile that gets me. Your genuine smile, the one that feels like… Like magic to me. Not the shit eating one, I hate that one.", she joked, and Hiro couldn't help but laugh at that, sending Karmi's heart racing.

They continued to hold on to each other, gazing at each other's eyes.

Karmi's ice cream had fallen on the grass ages ago, but they hadn't noticed.

Karmi and Hiro slowly leaned each other's faces on each other, eyes closed and noses touching.

"…Do… Do you really think this could work? I've… I've never had… Friends…", she whispered in a voice only Hiro could hear.

"…You have one now.", he whispered back.

He parted from the hug and extended his hand.

"Karmi: When I was in Bot-Fighting, Tadashi gave me another chance. He helped me becomes someone better, and believed in me when no one else did."

Karmi looked at the hand with fear and hope.

"…Let me do that to you. A fresh start, for both of us. What do you say?", he said with a smile.

Karmi took a deep breath…

She thought of all that happened…

And…

Finally…

She forgave herself.

She took the hand, and said "…I would love that… Friend."

Hiro smiled back at her and she smiled at him, both entranced by each other. "…Right back at ya… Friend."

They hugged again, feeling each other's warmth and love.

Time stopped as their hearts beat in synchronization, two people who once couldn't stand each other now finding it impossible to live without each other.

Binded by trust and understanding, a silent question was answered.

"…I… I…", Karmi started.

"…Me too.", Hiro answered.

They turned to the sky, and leaned into each other, head's lightly touching, as the sun set on the day, but the sun rose on their friendship.


	3. Mistletoe Mayhem

"Hiiiroooooooooo!"

Oh boy.

Something was up.

Hiro Hamada, SFIT's resident robotics prodigy/superhero/lovable scamp/"genius boy" turned his chair around to welcome on the unwanted and unexpected visitor, but he didn't even need to open his eyes to know who it was.

Good. More time to massage his temples.

"Oh… Are you… Ok?", Karmi Khan, SFIT's resident Bio-Tech prodigy/Big Hero 6 fangirl/lovable tsundere/"Best girl" (oh wait, that's my nickname for her) found herself exhibiting an unusual emotion, at least, unusual in her relationship with the brunette boy trying not to sigh heavily.

Hiro sighed heavily, contradicting me. "Karmi, I thought we were beyond petty fights! And I didn't mean to leave my lunch behind in your lab!"

Despite its slight surprise, Hiro expected a Karmi visit today. Good news or bad, his new friend (who he may or may not have slight feelings for) had been making daily check ups.

What he didn't expect (though he chided himself for that) was Karmi leaping up to him and hushing him with her finger, fear and alarm in her eyes.

Moving the finger wordlessly, an annoyed Hiro with a raised eyebrow asked a sort of pointless question. "Karmi, are we seriously still doing this?"

Karmi blushed red faster than light traveling in space and, with an incredibly impressive backflip, closed the door to Hiro's lab and jumped back to him, her eyes darting around madly.

Hiro stayed still in his seat, before lifting a perfect 10 sign.

"Of course we still are seriously doing this! I'll even do it absurdly, if the need arises!", Karmi told him off, before wordlessly nodding at the other seat.

Hiro nodded in approval and Karmi sat down, taking his bag of gummi bears.

"Hey, I never nodded at that!", Hiro remarked, with half a smile.

"General vicinity, Genius Boy.", Karmi bit back humorously, and she began to stuff a few in.

Hiro shook his head in adoration and they resumed their conversation.

"So, let me get this straight: Even though we've made up, even though everyone basically knows we're friends now, and even though we're smart enough NOW to know that there is something between us, you want to keep it secret?"

"First of all, we are not dating, if that's what you're implying!", Karmi, with a slightly full mouth, was wuick to correct.

Pointing at him, she continued. "I may feel slightly sort of very intense feelings for you, but we are NOT dating."

Hiro slow clapped, a cocky smile gracing his lips. "And the Nobel prize for best explanation goes to…"

"Ha, ha! I see you still major in comedy.", Karmi retorted, but deep down she thought it was funny.

She didn't hide it as often these days, she was a lot more open in her adoration, but she had to hide it.

At least… Here.

Hiro, standing up and resuming his previous operation of fixing his armor, asked the necessary question. "So, I assume you're not only here to remind me of what I already know."

Standing up as well and already peering over his shoulder (to his half annoyance-amusement), Karmi supplied the answer with a copy of the school paper. "Somehow, I am actually here to inform you of something you really should know."

Hiro stared at the paper in front of him before dryly remarking. "Not only do I not bother with print, but why would I care about a celebration of meat loaf in Room 3B?"

Karmi took the paper back, grunted, and turned it around.

Hiro's eyes scanned the words and still looked phased as they reverted to Karmi's beautiful…

"Don't think it. Not yet.", he thought.

Anyhow, Hiro was still confused. "A Christmas party is the problem? And here I thought the only Scrooge was Professor Granville."

"Actually, she REALLY loves Christmas.", Karmi corrected, and Hiro couldn't help but chuckle, raising the smallest smile on the girl.

"Professor Granville and Christmas? Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it."

He then stood up and crossed his arms, observing her with curiosity. "So, do please enlighten me to the "humbug" in the situation."

Karmi sighed, wondering how dense can one admittedly lovable boy be. "Hiro, surely even you know that a Christmas party with mistletoe and your friends is a recepie for disaster."

Now, Karmi's assertion was absolutely true in every way.

It was her timing that was a little off.

Hiro began choking on the gummy bear that he extracted from the left over bag while Baymax woke up.

"I was alerted to your presence when you made choking sounds. Like this!"

Baymax began impersonating the choking noises quite adaquatley, and now it was Karmi's turn to lift a perfect 10 sign as Hiro thankfully spat out the sweet.

"I'm… Fine, Baymax."

Hiro did NOT want the inevitable…

"My diagnosis is different. You appear to also be afflicted with a rapid heartbeat, sweaty palms, and hormonal activity retaining to…"

"IAMSATISFIEDWITHMYCARE!"

Baymax quickly shut down and Hiro, who had dashed to his robotic friend, was now panting on the marshmallow body.

THAT was close.

"Hiding it… You're right, Hiro. It really is sad."

Hiro snapped back, pouting. "Uh, of the three people in this room, who barged in to tell me of the ever present and horrible danger of mistletoe?"

"Karmi! Karmi did!", a voice answered from above.

"Yes! Well said!", Hiro congratulated, before realizing someone was above them.

"What the…", Hiro and Karmi both said at the same time as they looked up and saw…

"FRED ATTACK!"

Fred dropped down from the ceiling, suction cups in his hands, and he bowed down exaggeratedly. "A thank you! A thank you!"

Hiro and Karmi, blushing wildly, stammered and stumbled out unfinished questions. "Why are you… What are you… How did you…"

"Oh! I was just sticking up on the wall with suction cups to hear your inevitable conversation over mistletoe. GoGo sent me!", Fred informed with zero hint of awareness.

Hiro and Karmi both sighed. "GoGo…"

For some reason, GoGo was sort of fixated on proving that the two had feelings for each other. WHICH THEY DID NOT!

But still, it was a recurring theme.

And Fred had been roped in.

Karmi, however, sensed a hole in the plan, and she grinned smugly as she approached the rich teen, a sight Hiro had to admit he had grown accustomed to.

"Ah, but Mr. Frederickson, therin lies a problem in your plan!"

She prodded him on the chest, cocky and sure. "We both clearly don't want to kiss under the mistletoe, if one assumes you heard the entire conversation!"

Hiro sat down, cocky too, and the two teens high fived. "She's got you there, Fred!"

But now it was Fred's turn to cockily smile as he left the room. "Oh, that is true… But of course, 4 against 2 is quite the advantage…"

And as he shut the door, Hiro and Karmi both blushed beet red and looked at each other with fear and alarm.

They may have only become friends four months ago, but they were very much in synch enough for this statement:

"We have GOT to stop this kiss."

"…Are you ready?"

Hiro's palms felt very sticky and sweaty, and he tried to wipe them on his ugly robotics Christmas sweater.

"…Well, that depends. Do you have everything?"

Karmi's mouth felt very dry, and she hoped that her fidgety hands would not be noticed.

"…I do."

Hiro wished the floor could swallow him whole.

"Well… Let's go stop your weirdo friends from making us kiss."

Karmi wished that she could stop time so she could run away and live on an island with a giraffe named Kenneth, but that wasn't happening any time soon.

Hiro gripped the doorknob and Karmi gulped.

"Yes… Let's do that…"

Suddenly overreacting, both teens kicked the door down, revealing the main SFIT hall to be decorated with bowls of holly and somehow endearing yet still a little kitschy ornaments, from the usual bells, reindeer and Santa dolls to the less traditional Kaiju with a Santa hat.

Blinding lights, cheery Christmas carols belted out from a humongous speaker system and many ugly Christmas sweaters enjoying the not exactly (but let's not kid ourselves) spiked egg nog.

Professor Granville would SURELY not like this!

"Mr. Frederickson, is that festive Kaiju yours by any chance?", the as ever serious and dry tone of Professor Grace Granville was not music to Fred's ears, as he and his friends were still hatching their plot.

Turning around with remarkable speed, Fred smiled sheepishly. "Why, it is! I seem to have…"

Honey Lemon piped in. "Misplaced it!"

Fred pointed back at her, grateful and jubilant. "YES! Misplaced it! Nice!"

He turned around, cocky grin. "As my very helpful friend just informed you, I have misplaced this awesome beat of awesomeness! Don't worry, I will have him removed immediately, as he is…"

"Unfit?", Wasabi offered hopefully.

"Yep! That was the word I was looking for! Unfit for this great hall of Christmassy Christmas!"

Fred smiled innocently, as did Wasabi and Honey Lemon (GoGo couldn't be bothered).

"Why, yes, Mr. Frederickson, he IS most unfit.", Granville informed, before suddenly attaching a white beard to the Kaiju's face.

As Fred and the others gaped in shock, Granville beamed and danced off in a hurry. "IT'S CHRISTMAS! FUCK YEAH!"

The foursome blinked in confusion before stating the obvious. "Huh! Who knew?"

Hiro and Karmi, meanwhile, were hiding behind one of the snack tables.

The cold floor was not very welcome, but Hiro's butt would have to live with it as Karmi laid down the game plan.

"Ok, so we have four obstacles to encounter: Fred, Honey Lemon, Wasabi and GoGo."

Hiro set down a small circular device, which, when opened, revealed a 2-D hologram of his friends, now turned enemies.

Removing the Fred hologram, Hiro threw him onto Karmi's arms. "Fred is too excitable not to strike first. And knowing him, his plan will involve comic books!"

Now lying down on his stomach, Karmi repeating the act, Hiro took out Issue 2500 of Big Heroes and opened it on the final page.

"Thanks to extensive research…"

"I.E, listening in on Fred in the shower.", Karmi rubbed in, and Hiro rolled his eyes.

"Hey, he signs everything in the shower! Easy pickings!"

Reverting to the plan, Hiro cleared his throat. "Moving on, this issue of Big Heroes end with Mr. Moe, the superhero who uses cuteness as a weapon, accidentally getting a mistletoe kiss from his on and off rival friend Haley Tju."

Hiro then pointed at a specific panel, one that is almost directly before the kiss. "And it happens because Fanboy Kaiju, the shipping trash monster, lures Mr. Moe under the mistletoe."

Karmi nodded, understanding fully. "You're more used to Fred, so you should tackle him."

Hiro shook his head though, surprising his partner. "That's what he WANTS! We need to surprise him, not play into his plan!"

"He'd be expecting us to… No, you know what? I'm not going to even finish that one, he's not smart enough."

Hiro and Karmi shared a small laugh and Karmi inserted the hologram into her folds as Hiro then picked up Honey Lemon.

"You seem to be closer to her…"

"Bio-Besties. Not the term I'd choose, but she likes it.", Karmi admitted, with a small smile. She sort of liked how much Honey Lemon cared.

Hiro pocketed this one. "Well, then, this one goes to me."

Next was Wasabi. "Now, Wasabi is probably going to be the easiest to handle."

"So I should have him!", Karmi demanded, and she made a grab for the hologram, but Hiro kept it at arm's length.

"Hey! I already have to deal with Honey Lemon! I want Wasabi!"

Karmi kept reaching for the hologram, though, grunting in frustration as Hiro stuck his tongue out.

"Hiro! I should handle him! I actually know his weakness!"

"Oh, please! Everyone knows it's dirt! Even Mel, that one moron we fought once knows!"

"Hurtful!", Mel called out of nowhere.

Karmi had to counter and fast, if she wanted to stop Wasabi.

Luckily, she really did know his weakness.

"No, Genius Boy! I'm talking about his OTHER weakness!"

Hiro laid there, dumbfounded. "…What other weakness?"

Using this for her advantage, Karmi snatched the hologram and send it flying into her folds.

"Exactly.", she grinned smugly, but Hiro couldn't help but laugh at that.

In an odd way, she had become so endearing to him, that he really didn't mind.

Finally, they reached the one they dreaded most.

"And then there was one…", Hiro announced morbidly, and a hologram of GoGo popped up.

Both teens gulped in fear, clearly uneasy. GoGo was not just a physical challenge with her strength and speed, and a mental challenge with her brains: She was also determined to make fun of Hiro and Karmi's… TOTALLY NOT ROMANTIC relationship.

She was cunning, she was tough, and she would stop at nothing, efforts be damned.

Hiro and Karmi exchanged knowing looks, and without a word, silently nodded.

This would require all hands on deck. The two could only prevail by teaming up on GoGo.

Slicing her in half, each one received a GoGo, the mission now ready to be taken on.

Extending his hand, Hiro smiled encouragingly. "Good luck."

Karmi took the opportunity to barb with him, but she too was genuine deep down. "I mean, you're the one who's gonna need all the luck, but why sweat the small stuff?"

The two giggled for a moment, before realizing how close they were on the floor to each other.

Close enough to look into each other's eyes, feel each other's breaths…

Maybe…

Even…

K…

"OK, LET'S GET ON WITH THIS!", Hiro suddenly shouted out, and he and Karmi, with VERY red faces, stood up and went to their positions.

Shifting through a sea of slightly tipsy college students and robots "attempting" to do the Macarena, Karmi nearly tripped over a few feet, before finally finding Fred.

Not that it was hard.

"JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS, I DON'T KNOW THE WORDS! JINGLE JINGLE JINGLE JINGLE MOTHERFU(BLEEP) JINGLE!"

The strangest part of Fred singing wildly and flailing all over the place in a Fanboy Kaiju costume, slurring all the words, was that he hadn't drunk a single thing that night.

Huh.

Karmi, however, was a lot more cool and collected, and she grinned to herself as she turned her back to the rich boy and put on a certain hoodie.

"Karmi Khan, you are a genius! Why, thank you, Karmi! You're welcome, Karmi!", Karmi congratulated herself, leading Hiro to radio in "Modest, much?"

"Says the guy who has an edited recording of Tadashi saying "Noice and Toight" every time you succeed."

"…I would like to withdraw my comments from the record. The floor is yours, Ms. Khan."

Chuckling to herself, Karmi then took out a pre-recorded sound byte of Hiro, which she played right next to Fred after bumping into him.

"Sorry, Fred! I'm just such a clumsy weirdo! Also, Karmi is smarter than me!"

"THAT SOUNDS EXACTLY LIKE HIRO! TIME FOR OPERATION "MAKE SHIP SHIP AND ALSO LEARN TO SPEAK PROPERLY OR SOMETHING WHY DOO BUTTERFLIES CALL THEMSELVES BUTTERFLIES IF THEY PREFER MARGARINE?" TO START!"

"Seriously? What if Fred wasn't a total car crash of a human being?", Hiro asked, annoyed.

As Karmi Naruto ran away from a lumbering Fred, she radioed back with a playful grin "As if you don't have a bantery recording of me somewhere!"

Tucking in his deepfaked "Karmi sings "I'm a Barbie Girl" recording, Hiro sheepishly confessed with a "Yeah, probably, kind of, I wouldn't know…"

Karmi continued to dash along, pushing students to the side as Fred lumbered down the room, knocking even more.

"HIRO! WAIT UP! I NEED YOU TO STOP SO I CAN ENFORCE ROMANCE ONTO YOUR LIFE!"

"Wow, he's not being subtle about this." Hiro radioed Karmi as she slid under a table to hide for the moment.

Karmi agreed, panting as Fred continued running for no reason. "I know, right? Why the heck would GoGo let him in on the plan?"

What Hiro didn't know, as he hid in the mini fridge, was that someone was already there…

Waiting to strike.

"Well… Maybe because GoGo knew that you'd send Karmi after Fred, so she sent me to follow you?"

"H'mm… Maybe…", Hiro said, scratching his chin, before realizing that someone was now… Right behind him…

Beaming brightly, Honey Lemon waved cheerfully. "Hey, Hiro! Don't mind me, GoGo just asked me to force a mistletoe kiss between you and Karmi."

As Honey Lemon tapped her chin, stating that she considered it "a little immoral, but whatever", Hiro slowly got out of the mini fridge.

"Karmi, I am being pursued by Honey Lemon! Fred is a diversion, I repeat FRED IS A DIVERSION!"

Karmi was startled, the plan not spiraling out of motion, so much so that she stood up and dropped one of the snack tables.

Food and punch spilled all over the floor, and many students turned around, seeing Karmi in Hiro's hoodie.

Karmi had to come up with an excuse, and fast!

"…Hey?"

Karmi was a genius, but even she was liable for a total "doi" moment.

Unexpectedly, the students all suddenly picked up their own Hiro Hoodies, gesturing at them excitedly.

"Huh. And I thought I was the only one who found it amazing."

"What?!", Hiro, who was being chased by a giggling Honey Lemon with a butterfly net, asked incredulously.

"NOTHING!", Karmi shouted back.

Able to focus now, Karmi started to think. "Fred as a diversion makes sense… And honestly, he should be out of my hair for now, since he's a total moron…"

"YEP! THAT'S ME! A TOTAL MORON!", Fred confirmed as he breakdanced.

Karmi fist pumped, seeing victory coming in hot. "PERFECT!"

She took off the hoodie and narrowly dodged flailing elbows as she radioed a now roof climbing Hiro, who hissed like a cat as Honey Lemon jumped up and down to reach him.

"I'm taking on Wasabi! Fred basically took himself down!", Karmi informed as she leapt over a pile of presents.

Peaking down, she moaned. "Aw man, none for me?"

"Great! I just wish I could take Honey Lemon down!", Hiro replied as he swung from one sleigh decoration to the next, Honey Lemon still in pursuit.

Karmi slid between some elves legs. "What even was your plan?"

Hiro narrowly reached the tree, hissing still as Honey Lemon barked enthusiastically. "I WAS GOING TO SPEAK TO HER NORMALLY! I THOUGHT SHE WAS SANE!"

"YOU'RE MY OTP, WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

"WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!"

"Only true pairing.", Karmi helpfully informed as she finally reached Wasabi, who was holding a vacuum cleaner of sorts and "calming" himself down by talking to himself.

"Just relax, big guy. Suck your two friends in, make em kiss, and all will be fine…", Wasabi whispered to himself, not realizing that Karmi was right behind him.

Hiro, who could see this from the tree, prayed for Karmi. "With how hard this has been, who knows if Karmi can take on Wasabi! I hope she fares better than I have."

Karmi suddenly looked back and winked at Hiro, causing his heart to skip a beat.

Turning back to Wasabi, Karmi tapped him on the shoulder.

"AAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!", Wasabi screamed as Karmi waved back.

"Hey, Wasabi!", Karmi greeted with a smile and closed eyes.

Wasabi, calming down, waved back, his green sweater already stained with sweat. "Hey, Karmi!"

Getting a little fidgety, Wasabi pointed at his device. "Say, I know this is weird, but GoGo be GoGo, you know! Um… Can you, like, let me suck you into this for kissing Hiro reasons?"

Karmi put a comforting hand on Wasabi's shoulder, apologetic. "Why, I'd love to, but I'm sort of busy."

Wasabi blinked, confused. Had he failed the mission? "Busy? Doing what?"

Karmi suddenly unveiled what looked like Chris. "Hooking you up with Chris' good twin who in no way is a criminal, Finn!"

Wasabi took one look at the dashing man before him, with lovely blond hair and a sparkling smile, and then resumed staring at Karmi.

"Don't snitch on me and you've got yourself a deal!"

"Wouldn't dream of it!", Karmi vowed, shaking Wasabi's hand and watching as the two guys had a gay old time (kill me).

Hiro, however, was less pleased. "HOW DID SHE GET ALL THE EASY ONES?!"

Honey Lemon, meanwhile, continued to surround the tree. "Hiro… Come out, come out! I only want to ensure your happiness and fuzzy feelings!"

The mad look on her eyes didn't ease his soul, however.

Hanging on to the tree, Hiro sighed. What could he do? Karmi was clearly smarter!

He was just a…

"A failure…"

Karmi, meanwhile, who was still being very smug, was about to radio some more banter when she saw that her friend was seemingly lost.

This made no sense to Karmi. Sure, she was clearly the real brains of the duo, but Hiro was a genius too!

This should be easy for him!

And if Karmi was really being honest, she totally believed Hiro could do anything if he put his mind to it!

Seeing him like this depressed her. He needed some motivation.

Perhaps…

No, no, she couldn't!

Not in front of all these people!

But deep down, Karmi knew that she had to.

"That's…"

She took a deep breath and braced herself.

"That's what friends do."

And she smiled a little smile as she realized that Hiro really was her friend…

And she knew that she wanted to go the distance for him.

Now, usually, a writer for this fandom would most understandably use Tadashi as an inspirational motivator for a moment like this.

But this time, someone else motivated Hiro.

"COME ON, HIRO! YOU CAN DO THIS!"

Looking down, Hiro saw Karmi do something totally unexpected: She was cheering for him.

Not just cheering, but holding a sign with his name and jumping around like a cheerleader (and Karmi HATED cheerleaders!).

"Who's a genius, who's a boy? Who's gonna spread some Christmas joy? HIRO! HIIIIIRO!"

Hiro was shocked at this exhibition of affection.

But he was also touched.

Enough to flip down from the tree and finally get Honey Lemon to leave him alone.

"Karmi, read this slip of paper!", Hiro ordered, as he slipped her a slip.

Karmi grabbed the slip and read out loud.

"Tadashi is gone?"

Hiro suddenly burst into tears, the water level slowly rising in the party.

Honey Lemon immediately threw away her butterfly net and hugged Hiro, comforting him. "Oh, Hiro! I am so sorry! But Tadashi isn't gone!"

Hiro cried on her shoulder and she patted his back, making him feel a bit better.

"How can I make you feel better?", Honey Lemon asked, kissing his forehead.

Sniffling, Hiro mumbled "If you could leave me and Karmi alone, that would be great."

Nodding vibrantly, Honey Lemon ran out of the room. "No problem, Hiro! Just don't cry!"

Immediately wiping his tears away, Hiro cockily grinned at Karmi, who raised an impressed eyebrow. "Not bad, Genius Boy!"

Hiro chuckled and high fived her, before suddenly getting a little shy. "So… You really meant all that before? I thought… I thought you wanted to keep this a secret of sorts."

Karmi now was a little red, but she stood up for her feelings.

Smiling, she grabbed hold of his hand. "…Well… I've got your back. We are friends… No?"

Hiro smiled and shook back. "Yeah… We are…"

Holding on perhaps a little too long, feeling for once not alone, the two teens smiled before suddenly hearing a squee above them.

Turning in horror, they saw Fred and laughed.

"Oh, that's rich! You're going to stop us?", the two geniuses challenged the shipper.

Fred suddenly began to laugh sort of… Evilly.

In fact, his whole body shook quite visibly as he laughed, causing Hiro and Karmi to exchange worried glances. "…Fred? You ok, buddy?"

But Fred wasn't there.

Instead, it was…

"GLOBBY?!", Hiro and Karmi shouted as the former villain turned friend appeared.

"YES! IT WAS I, GLOBBY!", the pink ally pointed at himself.

Turning again into Fred, he explained. "Fred may be dumb, but not THAT dumb! I was sent as a distraction to lower your guards!"

"Fred" then grinned and pointed behind them. "Ah! I see Uncle Globby's shipper squad is already here!"

Hiro and Karmi gasped and turned around, fully expecting GoGo but instead seeing…

"AUNT CASS?!", Hiro screamed, disbelieving the maternal figure behind him, holding very sticky bread mix.

"FELONY CARL?!", Karmi screamed, shocked to find the former criminal with open and ready hands.

"And me!"

"…Yama?"

Yama shrugged, smiling. "What can I say? You're adorable!"

Hiro and Karmi slowly backed away to the wall, scared out of their wits, as the four figures approached them "maliciously".

"Listen, guys, we don't have to do it this way!", Hiro nervously tried to convince as he ran out of floor.

"Really, maybe we can postpone this to Valentines? WAY more romantic! NOT THAT I WANT TO!", Karmi offered, sweat dripping down her neck.

"Nope! This is the end of the line, kids! You gonna kiss!", Globby said, and the four laughed evilly.

It seemed like all hope was lost as Hiro and Karmi hugged each other in fright.

That is…

Until something else unexpected happened.

Just before Globby could grab them.

CRASH!

"Hello!"

Baymax, dressed as Santa Claus with Mini Max as a reindeer, crashed down the roof and onto the four shippers (the sleigh was made of marshmallow, so no one was hurt).

"Baymax! Oh, you are the best!", Hiro and Karmi hugged the robot as the four shippers shrugged and ate the marshmallow sleigh.

"No one is the best, Hiro. The best is an unmeasurable…"

"Yeah, great, see ya!"

Hiro and Karmi decided to make a mad dash for the door, when they suddenly realized something.

"Hiro, wait! GoGo and Fred are still out there!"

"I know! Let's get out before they get us!"

Karmi blocked the door, and Hiro looked at her, puzzled.

"Karmi, I'm trying to run away here."

"Hiro, think! If GoGo and Fred went to such extremes to make us kiss, they could be hiding somewhere with a portable mistletoe!"

Hiro turned white. "Oh shit."

Karmi gripped his hand and looked at the party, with terrified eyes, as they began to walk in, approaching a closet door.

"I hate saying this, but we need to stop them first. It's the only way."

Hiro gulped, but smiled. "Ok. We'll do this…"

He extended a hand. "Together!"

Karmi grinned and shook back. "You said it, friend!"

But as they shook, Hiro suddenly overheard an odd noise.

Karmi noticed this. "Um… Hello? Earth to Genius Boy? What's wrong?"

Hiro shushed her and pointed at the closet.

Weird, wet noises could be heard, alongside muffled grunts.

Terrified, the two opened the door slowly, expecting a trap or a monster o even worse, a shipping Obake.

But instead, they found…

"GOGO AND FRED?!"

In the midst of a VERY wet and passionate makeout session were GoGo and Fred, who seemed to have forgotten all about the plan.

"You are so divine, my knight in shining armor!"

"You're such a fucking idiot… Kiss harder.", GoGo instructed as Fred continued.

As Karmi giggled uncontrollably, Hiro cleared his throat. "Why, my dear Karmi! I believe we are interrupting something!"

Fred and GoGo's eyes widened and as Fred hid under his hat, GoGo, with a very phased expression, surrendered.

"Don't tell anyone, and I'll let you off the hook."

Hiro and Karmi nodded, but not before GoGo added "and I WILL kill you if you tell!"

The rest of the party was surprisingly normal, especially compared to the insanity beforehand.

Pretty soon, the whole room was empty, save for Hiro and Karmi, who observed their hall of vanquish.

Karmi sighed, pleased with herself. "I must say, we really nailed it!"

Hiro, leaning on her, jokingly boasted. "Of course, much of the work was mine!"

Once, Karmi would have argued with him, and they would have wasted valuable time sniping at each other.

This time, though, Karmi just shoved him slightly, laughing. "For a genius, you're a real idiot sometimes!"

Hiro shoved back, laughing, and it wasn't long before they rolled around on the floor, laughing and actually feeling free to be themselves.

To be friends..

Still giggling on top of each other, the two didn't even notice where they were…

Until, that is, Karmi looked up and…

"…Oh…"

Hiro, was on the bottom, looked at her quizzically. "What? What did you…"

Then, he saw it.

"…Oh…"

Somehow, they had let their guard down long enough to stand under the very thing they had fought all night long to avoid.

Karmi looked at Hiro.

Hiro looked at Karmi.

Both smiled weakly, embarrassed chuckles abound.

Finally, pink blushes tinging their cheeks, the two were brave enough to take the step:

"You know…", Karmi started, really getting shy now, looking up at him with a soft smile. "…No one is here to see us…"

"Yeah…", Hiro agreed, holding his own hands and rocking a little bit. "I mean… It can just be a secret… Between the two of us…"

"It's not like it means anything!"

"Yeah, exactly! It's just… A totally platonic friends thing!"

"Yeah! And nothing more!"

"No dating here!"

"Nuh uh!"

…

Finally, slowly but surely, they edged closer and closer, eyes closed…

And their lips met in near silence.

Not a single sound could be heard in the entire room, as Hiro and Karmi made each other feel special and loved for just a few seconds.

Warmth enveloped them and seconds felt like hours.

They felt…

Safe.

Finishing the kiss, the two teens held hands and looked at each other with short, slightly surprised breaths.

Slowly, they smiled softly.

"…Merry Christmas, Hiro.", Karmi offered, blushing.

"…Merry Christmas, Karmi.", Hiro returned.

And the two went back to their homes, hand in hand the entire way.


	4. Sick Day-te

"Sound block? Check! Comfy pillows? Check! No possible chance for embarrassment? Super check!"

Hiro Hamada was standing in the middle of his now sound proof room, sighing contently. His big brain definitely didn't let him down on this one: Ever since THAT Christmas party where he and Karmi… Shared a private moment, they had been waiting for the follow up.

Unfortunately, everyone they knew was very weirdly embarrassing about their relationship, to sometimes cartoonish extremes.

To remedy this, Hiro had to plan the perfect day: One where everyone would be too busy to deal with his and Karmi's "special relationship". This had taken much work, but thanks to Momakase being surprisingly cooperative (and willing to just distract his friends and do NOTHING ELSE), his Big Hero 6 teammates were out of the picture.

And Aunt Cass couldn't check on him since Chief Cruz was taking her out (which made him want to hurl violently into a trash can, but hey, take what you can get!). Pretending to be happy about it was hard, but still.

This only left Baymax, but it was easy to convince him to go to sleep. All he had to do was say "I am satisfied with my care" and bam!

So in other words, Hiro was totally alone, as he awaited the arrival of someone very close to him.

Hiro didn't like to get all cheesy and stuff, but it had been a hard two weeks, waiting to be "himself" next to Karmi. Keeping it a secret was necessary, but it was excruciating not to just look her in the eyes and tell her how he feels.

"Eww", he thought to himself. Yep, too cheesy.

He really didn't care for that junk, he just wanted to hang out with a good friend, without the entire planet shipping them.

So he was pretty excited when Karmi texted "Here, Genius Boy".

"Yes!", he fist pumped, thankful the room was soundproof. He didn't need Karmi to think he was all… You know.

Walking down in a flash, Hiro, without really noticing, straightened his hair and made sure his breath didn't smell as he grabbed hold of the door handle.

Smiling brightly (but not too brightly so she won't assume anything) Hiro greeted Karmi with a "Hey, Karmi!".

Unfortunately, Karmi's response was less than pleasant.

"Hey, Hi… Hi… Hi…", she began, her nose twitching, before she whipped out a tissue and…

"ACHOO!"

The sneeze echoed down the café, and Hiro looked on with surprise and uncomfortablness as Karmi blew her nose, revealing a very sick looking face.

Not that he was grossed out or anything: He just didn't like seeing her so…

Weak.

Her eyes were puffy, clearly working overtime to stay awake; her walk was lumbering and forced, her legs surely exhausted from walking all the way here; and her face was red hot, and not from thinking about their da… Hang out.

Her hair was also a little messy and frazzled, and her nose was red and clearly fragile.

In short, she looked like a mess. Hiro couldn't help but "ooh" in pain as she walked in, clearly out of it.

"Sorry I took some time, I got so exc… I tried to hurry up, but my body just wouldn't cooperate.", she explained, walking in and looking around.

She hadn't spent much time here; in fact, this was the first time she was here as a guest. Specifically, this was the first time she and Hiro were hanging out since their… Christmas moment, and she wanted to make sure it was special, since her feelings for the boy (NOT LIKE THAT!) were growing by the minute. He was very important to her. More than anything else, she reasoned. I can't screw it up", she thought, hoping Hiro wouldn't catch on that she was…

"So… You not feeling well?", Hiro asked, preferring to just address the situation.

It was a little awkward now, as they stood together in the café floor, Hiro standing near the door, Karmi staring at him, looking awful. Hiro really wanted things to be perfect, but at the same time, Karmi, his friend, looked like she was going to faint.

Concern flicked in his eyes; she had to shut it down.

"Not feeling well? Ha!", she laughed it off, just choking down a coughing fit. "I feel (SNIFF) great!", she said, and she walked up to hug him.

Hiro was still not sold, though, and while he enjoyed her suddenly soft embrace, he whispered "…You sure? You looked really… Um… Different, back there?", he chose his words carefully.

He did NOT want to insult her looks, especially since they were never lacking.

…Did he just think that?

Karmi, of course, continued to deny, as she began to walk up the stairs. "Uh, duh! Of course I'm sure! What, am I so childish I'd LIE about that?"

She waved him to join her, clearly unbalanced. Hiro was just able to walk up there in time and stop her from falling. "Come on! Let's not waste the little time we have!"

Hiro just shrugged and walked up with her, not noticing that he had gripped her hand to support her up the stairs.

Karmi did notice…

But she decided not to stop the moment.

As they reached upstairs, Karmi was constantly twitching her nose to stop it from sneezing, doing her best not to appear sick, but her constant blinking to stay focused was distracting to Hiro, as was her sniffing and her rapidly growing mountain of used tissues.

"So…", Karmi said, stifling a yawn and letting out a small cough, that sounded pretty throaty. "How's things been with you? I haven't been able to (sniff) visit the lab thanks to (tissue) the "situation" with all our (yawn) friends."

Hiro rubbed the back of his neck, not sure what to do. If he was to persist and ask her, he might make her angry.

But if he didn't, she would needlessly suffer.

"So, what's the plan?", Karmi asked, and Hiro felt guilty for not trying to help as she quickly wiped more snot from dripping down her upper lip, which looked sore. She was trying so hard for him: Couldn't he return that favor?

Karmi was more than a friend: She was close to his heart. He couldn't see her suffer, even if it meant she'd be angry at him.

"Someone has to help…"

It echoed in his ears.

He HAD to do something.

Walking towards her, Hiro cleared his throat and asked "Karmi… Could you throw that empty tissue box at me?"

Karmi was confused, to say the least. "…Okayyy, Genius Boy…", she said, and she threw the box at Hiro.

Hiro's ridiculous dive to the floor wasn't going to win him any Oscars, but, as he shouted out "Ow!" it did manage to win the attention of…

"Hello, I am Baymax, your personal, healthcare companion.", Baymax woke up from his charging station and waddled up to Hiro, who was already up, looking a little scared for his safety.

Karmi raised an eyebrow as Baymax turned to Hiro and said in a very familiar monotone "I was alerted to your need for medical attention when you said… "Ow"…"

Yeah, but I'm fine, Baymax! Fit as a fiddle! Karmi, on the other hand…", Hiro directed the robot towards his now very outraged friend.

"What?! Hiro, what ARE you doing? I told you I'm…", Karmi started, but she was quickly silenced by Baymax's scanning.

"I will scan the patient, Karmi."

"You will NOT…"

"Scan complete!"

"Unbelievable!", Karmi exclaimed, and Hiro nodded, knowing how that felt.

"You have an average case of "The Flu", also known as "Common Cold". It involves Sneezing (cue sneeze from Karmi), Coughing (cough), a runny nose (yep), overall body fatigue (chekeroo), a scratchy throat (not exactly to be fair), and high body temperature.", Baymax narrated, and Karmi slumped in defeat.

Hiro motioned to Baymax not to enter his standard monologue on proper healing procedures, and he sat down next to Karmi, who turned away from him.

"Why didn't you ask for help? You know I would have given it.", Hiro asked, not in an accusing tone, but in a concerned, worried tone.

Karmi blushed as she explained: "I… We waited a long time for this. I… I didn't want to ruin it."

Karmi was sure Hiro hated her now.

She was surprised when he hugged her anyway.

"Stay away… I'll make you sick too.", she said.

"Nope.", Hiro said, eyes shut. "I want to help my friend."

A few minutes later, and Hiro was sitting next to Karmi, who was soothing her throat with tea that he made himself (even if it could have used less sugar).

Karmi smiled weakly at him, appreciating his tireless effort to have enough compresses on her face. "Sorry I ruined our da… Our hang out."

Hiro shook his head at her, totally understanding. "Stop saying crazy stuff. Everything is ok."

He smiled at her, and suppressed the urge to kiss her again. "I'm with you. That's more than good enough."

Karmi snorted, as she drifted to sleep, her herculean effort to stay up finally gone. "Gee, Genius Boy: Lay off the cheese."

As she closed her eyes, Hiro covered her over and snuggled up next to her, smiling softly.

For a first date…

It wasn't half bad.


End file.
